A BIRMINGHAM-born teacher who claimed she was subjected to months of racial abuse by teachers and pupils has won a battle over her unfair dismissal.

Maths teacher Samantha Burmis revealed at a tribunal that she was called "dark meat" and told not to apply for promotion because of the colour of her skin.

She also said fellow teachers had asked if she knew how to use a computer as they might not have them in Jamaica, where Mrs Burmis' family are from.

But when the 39-year-old mother-of-two complained over a school trip in which pupils and teachers smoked cannabis and a colleague bet he could bed her, she was sacked for 'gross misconduct, gross negligence and gross dereliction of duty'.

A tribunal in Ashford, Kent, yesterday ruled that Mrs Burmis, who now lives in Gravesend, Kent, was unfairly dismissed from her job at Aylesford School, Kent, in February 2005. The tribunal also criticised the school "where racial abuse from pupils was allowed to continue".

Mrs Burmis, who was born and raised in Birmingham, said: "I was earning £24,000 a year when I was at Aylesford and since then, I've not been able to land a full time job."

But Kent County Council said the school does not accept the tribunal judgments and has lodged an appeal.

The tribunal heard claims that during a school adventure holiday to Hindhead, in Surrey, for 50 pupils, Mrs Burmis ended up having a drink with French teacher Mike Grosvenor, another teacher and two 16-year-old pupil-helpers in a hotel room.

They started playing drinking games but Mrs Burmis objected when the games took on an explicit nature.

Evidence was also heard that on the second night of the trip, Mrs Burmis was horrified when Mr Grosvenor, another teacher and two pupil-helpers began to smoke drugs.

Mrs Burmis told the hearing that when she complained, she was fired for drinking alcohol.

Mr Grosvenor, aged 48, has since been banned from teaching for life by the General Teaching Council.